Agadir | A charming picturesque winter seaside retreat ๐Ÿ–๏ธ

Aside from almost being hijacked by a couple of French behemoths, a really enjoyable excursion!

After the chaos of Marrakesh I decided to take the trip out to Agadir for a placid & tranquil retreat. My 3 days of relaxation here were much needed! There are no direct trains from Marrakesh to Agadir, so you need to take a bus, which is an experience in of itself! After only 30-40 minutes on the road, the driver decided he was stopping for a half hour to get lunch ๐Ÿ˜‚. However, the circa 4 hour trip was well worth it, Agadir was wonderful.

Agadir is a beautiful city, situated on the shore of the North Atlantic Ocean, in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains. The city is less populous than Marrakesh & as such is a lot more chilled out & not as fast paced.

Unfortunately it was hit with a deadly earthquake in 1960 & killed around a third of the people living there. It also destroyed a lot of the inadequately designed buildings & some of the historic sites, such as the Kasbah.

There is a lot to do & see in & around Agadir, however I didn’t do a whole lot of tourist activity as I just wanted a relaxing beach trip. But you can go to Markets, Jardins, the incredible Kasbah, quad biking in the desert, Paradise Valley, Crocopark & different cooking classes.

Whilst I was there during quiet season there was still a lot of locals & backpackers hunting you down for money etc. On my first day 2 French backpacking ladies approached me saying that they needed help but weren’t selling anything. Now usually when I am walking around, I am head down & not stopping to speak to anyone. However, at the risk of sound like a sexist pig, it has been a long time since 2 girls as pretty as that have smiled at me ๐Ÿ˜‚. Whilst it is unwise to get into these types of situations, the devil in me did think if I get robbed I can always make more money. Out of nowhere 2 strapping French guys appeared, much bigger, stronger & mental looking then me, inviting themselves to stay in my hotel. I caught a sudden case of amnesia & forgot how to speak English & scuttled off. I would suggest avoiding the backpackers more than the street sellers!

Agadir has really cool cable car tours that take you up to the Kasbah Oufella, the centre piece of the city. Of course, when I say really cool, I actually mean bloody terrifying! It took all of my courage to go into them, however the experience was worth overcoming the fear! I do have a videos of me inside the cable cars, but they are are filled with vitriolic expletives & subsequently not appropriate for a family friendly blog. If there was a swear jar, I would have about 1,203,478 Dirhams by the end of the journey!

Without a doubt the most stunning site to visit in Agadir is the Kasbah Oufella. It is perched on a mountain at over 200 metres above sea level, the remains of the Castle are captivating, but it is the view of the city & the mountains that make this a must visit! Important note; when you come to the castle entrance, it looks like you have to scan a QR code, set up an account & buy your tickets online. However, you can actually pay just inside the Castle doorway, just ask the guards. Whenever we see a queue of people outside trying to sign up for tickets, we automatically think someone must have already checked & you can’t buy tickets inside. But you can, cash or card, don’t bother with the QR code outside.

There are a couple of lovely Jardins that are worth a wander. Jardin Ibn Zaidoun & Jardin Olhao (although the opening times on this are very random so check ahead before visiting). The Agadir Amazigh Heritage Museum is pretty cool if you are interested in art. I went around in under 1 hour but it was only 40 Dirhams to enter. Then obviously anywhere along the beach is a must visit! I would recommend renting a deck chair/bed for the day. They only charge around 30 Dirhams & it is good value for money.

In days gone by I have usually stuck to food I know & rarely ventured into new territory. However, I decided I was going to try anything & everything I came across. In most restaurants I visited the Moroccan section was loaded with different Tagines, therefor I decided I had to complete the Tagine circuit. I had a seafood tagine that had all sorts I had never tried, like Octopus, Shrimp & John Dory. I needed to give myself a pep talk before ordering it, but glad I did ๐Ÿค 

Loved this place, the food was really nice. If you are an out of control degenerate like me & eat all of the table bread before the starters come, they top you right up!

The Moroccan soup starter was decent & the Fish Tagine was epic too! They do have a live singer, it’s a little cheesy but really nice vibe!

Lovely little restaurant, not far from the beach. The starter was a bit strange with Lime on the Beef Carpaccio but it wasn’t terrible.

The Lamb was incredible though & by far the best Tagine I had while in Morocco. This place is definitely worth a visit if you are in town.

This restaurant on the beach front was awesome. I was only in quickly for lunch but you get a great view of the Sea.

The Fish Tagine accompanied by cous cous was really tasty. Although it is a little more expensive than other places & they never topped up my free bread!

Agadir felt quite safe, there are a lot less cops than Marrakesh, but also a lot less people. Something to watch out for is if you see camels etc & try to take photos, the owner may try to charge you for this. But there is all sorts, people singing to snakes, people with monkeys etc.

I would say to avoid these people unless you are happy to part with some Dirhams. I don’t know how much they were charging.

Agadir airport is in the middle of nowhere. Whilst I took a bus into Agadir, I did fly out. You can pick up street taxi’s easy enough, however most places I wanted to venture into were within walking distance so I can’t attest to the charges etc.

The airport is a bit of a shambles, even if you do not have hold luggage you still need to check in! You also need a printed boarding pass. They check your details 3+ times so keep your boarding pass & passport handy.

Bring a spare pair of jeans! Given that I had loaded up on Casablanca beer, Tagines & everything in between, I was carrying a little extra podge.

This led to me ripping the arse out of my jeans trying to tie my laces. Walking through the crowds with my bottom hanging out was a shambles! The last night I made an executive decision to go to dinner in my kilt much to the bemusement of the fellow diners.

I am completely new to blogging & only set this up to help people out on their journeys. If you have any questions about the article or feedback, please do leave a comment & I will get back to you. You can also subscribe for free to get a notification when my next post goes live. Thanks for taking the time to read through. Over the coming weeks & months I will be covering some beautiful places in Spain & Belgium!


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Author: Tyler the Tartan Traveller

First time blogger | Aspiring Piano Aficionado | Lover of all things Travel, Food, Music & Sports |

3 thoughts on “Agadir | A charming picturesque winter seaside retreat ๐Ÿ–๏ธ”

  1. It looks like this laid-back coastal city is one of Morocco’s hidden gems, with plenty of attractions to entertain any visitor and the perfect blend of Moroccan culture and relaxation. Thanks for sharing, and happy travels ๐Ÿ™‚ Aiva xx

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hey Avia, thanks for stopping by ๐Ÿ˜Š
      It is a really beautiful place, it’s also a lot calmer than the hustle & bustle in Marrakesh, so definitely worth a visit. If you do get the chance to visit, just a heads up that the cable cars are truly terrifying ๐Ÿ˜‚ X

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